Magic, Sparks and Fancy Bookmarks
by MissKatieJayne
Summary: Ria Lucas: loyal friend, bookworm and sweet tooth. Ria's just interested in surviving life at Hogwarts but what she didn't expect was to develop a crush on a werewolf by the name of Remus Lupin - or for him to reciprocate those feelings. How will she deal with his fluffy little secret? Will James and Lily ever get together? And who ate the last cauldron cake! Remus x OC
1. Ria Lucas You're Going To Hogwarts

**Hi guys and welcome to 'Magic, Sparks and Fancy Bookmarks'! Yeah I know the title is really weird but I couldn't think of anything, it was nearly midnight and I was watching Castle so some how my brain thought of this :) So if you've come from 'Chocolate Isn't Always The Sweetest Thing' then hello again, if you're a new reader then welcome! This story is kind of a reboot of my other story CIATST (Chocolate Isn't Always The Sweetest Thing) but is a story in its own right so there is no need to read the other one to understand this one, the only thing I am borrowing from that story is the ideas for chapters - I'm quite proud of them! Sorry if this chapter's kind of slow, I promise it will pick up! As always any comments, criticisms or questions are welcome and I hope you enjoy :)**

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**Chapter 1 - Ria Lucas You're Going To Hogwarts**

The best day of any witch or wizards life is the day they receive their letter to Hogwarts. There's just something about opening it and reading the words on the page that just can't be explained. For Ria the main feeling was a mixture of relief and excitement - relief because with 3 older siblings who had all gone to Hogwarts she didn't want to be the black sheep of the family and not go. And excitement because, well, it was Hogwarts! All the stories she had heard, the different subjects, the magic!

When Ria's letter came she was just sitting at the kitchen table with her sister Cecilia and her father Grayson, everything seeming to be working towards a perfectly normal and ordinary day. Her father was reading the Daily Prophet, something which always amused his children since he worked there and knew every story that would be included in it. "I have to check there's no mistakes, don't I?" he always said. Today the paper was once again covered with warnings about Death Eaters and murders and all that horrible stuff that seemed to be everywhere nowadays. Although Ria was only 11 her parents and siblings never tried to cover up the horrible stuff in front of her. Of course they wouldn't say about the truly horrific stuff but they thought it was better that Ria knew everything about the world so she wasn't completely oblivious when she grew up. Ria was just about finished with her breakfast when the family owl, Zeus, flew in through the window and landed in the middle of her father's toast. Both Ria and Cecilia burst out laughing, and Grayson could only shake his head.

"Dumb bird, do that again and you'll be stuffed," he warned, although he still stroked the old bird affectionately, not really meaning his threat. While Grayson looked through the letters, his daughters began clearing the table, and Zeus happily nibbled at the toast Grayson offered him. Ria nearly dropped the plates she was carrying in surprise when Grayson suddenly shouted her name. "RIA!" He was grinning from ear to ear and holding out an envelope for her. "You've got a letter, sweetheart."

"Dad! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Cecilia said, putting a hand to her chest and shaking her head. When she caught sight of the letter she also grinned, and Ria felt very nervous as she looked down at the envelope. _Miss Audrey Lucas, 14 Owl Hoot Lane... _She turned the envelope over and there it was, the Hogwarts seal. Without even hesitating Ria ripped open the envelop and pulled out the parchment inside.

"'Dear Miss Lucas, We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!'"

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"You're gonna love it, it's incredible!" Ria was sitting outside playing referee to her brother and sister's Quidditch game, about an hour after receiving her letter. Cecilia had immediately run upstairs and woken the rest of the family up. On an ordinary day this would have been suicidal (they weren't exactly morning people), but once Cecilia had explained that Ria's Hogwarts letter had arrived, they stopped attacking her with pillows and were more than happy to come downstairs. Now her sister Katherine was telling her all about Hogwarts while Nathan (her brother) got the brooms and balls ready for their game. "Hogsmeade is amazing, the lessons aren't too bad-"

"Except for History of Magic, talk about a doss subject! So glad I never have to do that again," Nathan said, joining the conversation. He had just finished his last year of Hogwarts and would be leaving to travel in a few weeks.

"Yeah, okay, that one is boring," Katherine agreed. "But all the other are good. And the paintings are epic-"

"-except for Sir Cadogan, he's a nutter!"

"Yeah, except for him, but he lives by the Divination room so you won't see him until third year. Ah, you're gonna love it!" Katherine then started talking about Quidditch but Ria had stopped listening long ago. Having three siblings all at Hogwarts meant she'd heard everything there was about it - multiple times.

"And the food is great," Nathan said, suddenly getting a far away, dreamy like look on his face. Katherine raised an eyebrow and muttered something about him being a pig. "Think I'll miss that the most."

"RIA! RIIIIAAAAA!" Ria turned just as her friend James collapsed onto the ground next to her, clutching his own Hogwarts letter in his hand. "Did you get yours?" Ria's family lived right next door to the Potter family, but they all had large-ish gardens and James had obviously ran the whole way. Ria nodded.

"Can you believe it? We're finally going to Hogwarts!" Having lived in a small wizarding village, James and Ria had been friends for most of their lives and were no strangers to magic. Instead of sending them to a muggle primary school, Mrs Potter had looked after them both whilst Ria's parents were at work, and this resulted in the two being friends for life. "I hope we're in the same House, at least that way I'll have at least one friend."

"Well I'm hoping for Gryffindor, like my dad. Looks like you'll just have to be a lion too," James said, running his hand through his messy black hair. Nathan nodded approvingly, having also been in Gryffindor.

"Aah, the new generation," he said, clapping James on the back. Being the only other boy around, James had idolised Nathan and Nathan treated him like a younger brother. Katherine scoffed, ready to defend her own House.

"And what's wrong with being a Hufflepuff like me and mum? Or Ravenclaw like Cecilia?" This started a whole new argument between Nathan and Katherine, while James and Ria just sat there watching and laughing. Ria hoped she would be a Gryffindor like James, but where James was confident and the perfect example of a Gryffindor, she was shy and thought she better suited to be a Hufflepuff, or maybe a Ravenclaw (although she doubted she would be smart enough for that). James put his arm around her, obviously knowing what she was thinking about.

"We're still gonna be friends, even if we're not in the same House," he said, and Ria smiled.

"Even if I'm in Slytherin?" James seemed to think about it and Ria slapped his arm, making James admit that he would still be her friend even if she was in Slytherin. Nathan and Katherine finally started playing Quidditch, and even let James and Ria join in, eventually turning it into a boys vs. girls tournament. Although Ria couldn't wait to finally go to Hogwarts, she was incredibly happy and content with spending the rest of the summer like this.

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**I know it's starting a bit slow but I promise it will pick up and the chapters will be longer! Next chapter will be the Hogwarts Express and the Sorting, and then I may time jump till 3rd year or so - not quite sure yet :) Oh yeah, those of you who came from CIATST will know I kind of hinted at a Remus / OC / Sirius love triangle type issue, what do you think about including that in this story? I've put a poll up on my profile so if you could check that out and let me know what you think that would be great :)**

**Hope you all are having a great day,  
MissKatieJayne xx**


	2. Uh-oh, Have We Had A Falling Out?

**A/N: I just wanted to say a big thank you to wedontkilltheliving, Mad mind flip, lucky15371 and FreeSpiritSeeker (hope I got all those right) for following this story, to lucky15371 for favouriting this story, and to the 2 people who voted in the poll, you guys are amazing, I only expected like 1 or 2 readers and I got all of these so thank you guys so much :) So far the general consensus of the poll is that people wouldn't mind a Remus / OC / Sirius love triangle as long as it fit with the story, so I'm gonna start coming up with ideas of how it would fit in, if it was to become a big plot line it probably wouldn't happen until their fifth year so I've got a long time to lay out the groundwork for it :) oh and btw does anyone happen to know what year it was when Sirius convinced Snape to go down the tunnel and James saved his life? I'll google it but if anyone does know then please let me know, I have some ideas ;) The authors notes won't always be this long, I promise :)**

**Disclaimer: I (sadly) do not know Harry Potter, its characters, magical beasts, storylines or anything associated with it. The first paragraph describing the Hogwarts Express is copied straight from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and the conversation between James, Sirius and Snape is also copied straight from The Prince's Tale chapter of Deathly Hallows. All hail JK Rowling.**

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**Chapter 2 - Uh-Oh, Have We Had A Falling Out?**

_A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said _Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock. _Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every colour wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to each other in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks._

It was easy to distinguish the first-years from everyone else. Whilst the older students were running around, greeting old friends and happily talking about what they did over the summer, the first-years all looked tense and nervous, but still excited at the same time. As she stood there with James Ria knew exactly how they felt. Katherine and Cecilia had run off to find their friends, exceptionally happy to be starting fourth year, whilst James and Ria stayed with their parents, not wanting to leave until the last minute. Mr Potter smiled down at them, obviously noticing how they were feeling. "Come on you two, it's only 110 days until the Christmas holidays, and you'll be back home," he said, trying to reassure them. "But I guarantee that you'll have so much fun there, you won't want to come home." Ria nodded, the butterflies in her stomach still doing flips and loops. James seemed much more at ease, begging his dad to explain how they sorted you into houses. Mr Potter wouldn't tell, only saying that it wouldn't be any where near as bad as the rumours suggested.

Grayson Lucas looked at his watch then sadly down at the children. "Well it's five to eleven, better get on the train." Both of their mothers looked like they were going to cry, and Anthea Lucas even shed a tear when her two eldest daughters came back to say goodbye. James was so excited her practically dragged Ria onto the train, and they luckily found an empty compartment where they could still see their parents. Katherine and Cecilia joined them, and as the train departed they all waved goodbye until they couldn't see them any more. Katherine hugged her sister and pretended to cry.

"Off for your first year at Hogwarts, our little baby sister's all grown up!" Ria laughed and shoved her sister away, making Katherine fall off the seat and onto the floor. This of course made everyone laugh, and Ria felt infinitely better than she had done on the platform. Cecilia left to find her Ravenclaw friends, "And her boyfriend," Katherine added but only after Cecilia was out of earshot, and soon Katherine went off to talk to the Hufflepuff captain about Quidditch. James and Ria weren't left alone for very long, however. There was a knock on the door and it slid open, revealing a boy about their age, with shaggy black hair. He had a look about him that made Ria think he had come from a wealthy family, but he didn't look at all happy. _Maybe just misses his family, _she guessed.

"Is it okay if I sit here?" He asked. Then, as if anticipating that they would say no, he hastily added, "There's nowhere else." James looked at him like he had multiple heads.

"Course ya can mate, didn't have to ask!" The boy took a seat next to Ria, looking slightly less downcast than he had a moment before. "I'm James Potter, and this is Ria Lucas."

"Nice to meet you," Ria added, smiling kindly at him. She was hoping to make some friends other than James, and this boy looked like he needed someone to be nice to him."What's your name?" The boy looked a little apprehensive but introduced himself as Sirius Black. The name sounded familiar but Ria didn't dwell on it - she would get to know him personally, not based on wherever he came from. James and Sirius immediately started talking like old friends, and Ria was more than happy to sit there quietly with her copy of '_Hogwarts: A History_', occasionally looking up when James or Sirius included her in the conversation or whenever someone new entered the compartment.

Within an hour their compartment was completely full; a red haired girl who just sat in the corner miserably had joined them after about fifteen minutes, half an hour after that a boy with sandy coloured hair and shabby clothes named Remus asked if he could sit with them, and just over an hour after they left the station a boy with black greasy hair came and started talking to the red haired girl. Ria tried not to eavesdrop, but having sat right next to the red haired girl Ria couldn't help but hear some things. From what she could gather, the girl with red hair was muggle born and someone, Ria guessed it must have been her sister, didn't like her being a witch. She obviously knew the boy well, and he tried to comfort her by reassuring her that Hogwarts would be great and she'd forget all about the girl who didn't like her. That's when the conversation went down hill.

"You'd better be in Slytherin," the greasy haired boy said, although his tone was friendlier than what he actually said. James heard this and obviously had to get involved, much to Ria's annoyance.

"Slytherin?" The two had been having a private conversation, a concept apparently lost on James. "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" He directed the last part at Sirius, and Ria felt even more annoyed. James had promised he'd still be her friend if she was put into Slytherin, only now she wasn't sure.

Sirius didn't look too happy, and didn't even smile as he replied, "My whole family have been in Slytherin." Something inside Ria's head seemed to click and she realised that Sirius hadn't been missing his family at all. He obviously didn't get on with them and was probably constantly miserable.

"Blimey, and i thought you seemed alright." If James had just been trying to cheer Sirius up it obviously worked, as Sirius started chuckling.

"Maybe i'll break the tradition," he shrugged, looking quite happy with that idea. "Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?" James, always the one for being melodramatic, raised a pretend sword above his head and put his hand on his heart.

"_'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!_'" He looked at Ria, expecting her to say she wanted to go there too, and she only raised an eyebrow back. James may not have been able to keep his mouth shut, but she knew it wasn't polite to get involved in other people's private conversations. Remus obviously knew this too as throughout the entire conversation he just sat reading a book, pretending he couldn't hear the conversation even when it was apparent he could. "Like my dad." Ria had pretty much forgotten all about the other two people in the compartment when the greasy haired boy scoffed at James's comment.

"Got a problem with that?" It seemed James had forgotten about them too, but now seemed all too eager to pick a fight with this boy. The boy must have either been oblivious to this or also wanted to pick a fight.

"No. if you'd rather be brawny than brainy-"

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" Sirius chimed in, making James laugh so hard he nearly fell off his chair._ I hope he falls off and hurts himself_, Ria thought. Yes the other boy was being a bit rude, but James had started it and deserved whatever karma gave him.

Finally the red haired girl decided she'd had enough and stood up, grabbing the greasy haired boys sleeve as she did so. Ria only just noticed they were both wearing their robes already, although the boy's were in a much worse condition than the girls. "Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment." Ria was very tempted to go with them, the only factor keeping her in her seat was that she figured the girl and boy would want to be alone.

"Oooooo..." Both Sirius and James shouted after them, not quite finished having their fun. James even stuck his leg out in an attempt to make the boy, Severus, trip over it, and once they had passed Ria made sure to kick him hard in his shin.

"See ya, Snivellus!" Sirius called out, just as the door slid shut. James frowned at Ria, all the while rubbing his shin. Although he and Ria had argued before, and she had indeed slapped him multiple times, she had never meant to properly hurt him before. The pain in James's shin told him that this time she definitely meant it.

"What was that for?"

"That was really, really mean, James! They were having a private conversation, you shouldn't have said all those things." James looked at her strangely, and Ria knew it wasn't because he was feeling guilty about what he did. Ria had always been the quiet one, always going along with whatever James did and never really disagreeing with him. The realistic part of James's brain told him that he must have taken it too far if Ria was that annoyed with him, but another part said that Snivellus had started it and what he said was well justified.

"Yeah, but-" Ria slammed her book shut so hard that it made both Remus and Sirius jump slightly, neither having been paying that much attention to the conversation after the other two had left.

"Didn't you see that the girl was upset?" All the boys expression revealed that they didn't. "The boy was just trying to comfort her, there was no need for you to get involved or be so rude. Or you either for that matter." Ria directed the last part at Sirius, equally annoyed at him. Now, Sirius wasn't usually the one to fight back when someone shouted at him - years of living with his family had taught him that it just made any situation worse. But this time, he had just about made a friend in James Potter and he wasn't going to let someone yell at him for sticking up for his friend.

"And why didn't you say anything when Snivellus was here?" He argued back, his grey eyes narrowed as he glared at her. "You just sat there and let us be 'really, really mean' and didn't say anything! So before you act all high and mighty, just remember that you sat there and did nothing, Miss Prissy." Ria's mouth fell open, and even James looked a bit sheepish, although he kept his mouth shut. Remus had once again gone back to his book, but the red tips of his ears indicated that he had heard it all. They all sat there in extremely awkward and uncomfortable silence for a while, nobody wanting to be the first to say anything.

By the time the lady with the trolley had come past, Ria was back to reading her book and ignoring everyone in the compartment, and James and Sirius were talking to each other, all of them too stubborn and proud to apologise for what they said. All the while Remus just sat there, perfectly content with reading his book too and pretending he was on his own. After a few hours, Cecilia had came by and told them they were nearly there, and suggested that they put their robes on. Without a word Ria grabbed hers out of her bag and headed towards the bathroom, leaving her very confused sister behind. "What did I say?"

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**Okay I lied, I was gonna try and fit the sorting and the first night in here too but it would have been insanely long and I really wanted to fit all this in here. So then next chapter will be the rest of the train ride (only a teeny-tiny bit more), the Sorting Ceremony and the first night. It's still a bit suckish but my writing will improve I promise. Hope you enjoyed it :)**

**Oh and if any of you have Pottermore, my name's MistPatronus17665, so if you wanna be my friend and we can duel and stuff :D xx**


	3. Sorry About My Friend, He's A Prat

**A/N: I can't thank you guys enough for your response to this story, you guys are amazing! Thank you very much to moonblaze1509, Alinthrada GamerGirl and DeathDaisy for following this story, to fantasyluver714 for favouriting, and a special thanks to Alinthrada GamerGirl and DeathDaisy for their wonderful reviews! **

**To Alinthrada GamerGirl: I hope this is soon enough for you! Aw I'm really glad you like it, thank you so much for your review, it really brightened up my day :) **

**To DeathDaisy: That's the plan, hope you find this chapter interesting! Thank you a million times for the review :D**

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**Chapter 3 - Sorry About My Friend, He's A Prat**

Lily and Severus had managed to find a compartment with very few people in it, something they didn't expect so far into the journey. They sat there mostly in silence for the rest of the journey, only really talking when they complained about the boys in the other compartment. "The one with the glasses was so arrogant! When we get to Hogwarts I'm staying as far away from him as possible," Lily exclaimed, still angry with how the boys had spoken to Severus. "I don't care what House I'm in. I just hope it's not the same one as them." Although his face didn't show it, Severus was thrilled by Lily's words. Those boys were awful and his Lily didn't need to become friends with them - she had him.

After a while, everyone else in the compartment had gone to change into their school robes, and Lily and Severus were left alone. In Severus's opinion the compartment was in a very comfortable silence, and so he was extremely annoyed when someone knocked on the door. The same brown haired girl who was in the compartment with the boys stepped inside, looking quite nervous and sheepish. "H-Hi."

"What do you want?" Maybe Severus was being rude but if the girl knew those boys then she was no friend of his. The girl now looked even more nervous and glanced at the door, as if deciding whether she should just make a run for it. Lily glared at Severus and then gave the girl a small smile.

"I just wanted to apologise for my friends, they were being really rude and shouldn't have said what they did," she explained. Whilst Lily's smile grew, Severus's frown deepened. "James isn't normally a prat, I don't know why he was acting like that." The girl turned to leave but Lily stopped her.

"You don't have to apologise for them, it's okay," she said. She invited the girl to sit with them, much to Severus's annoyance. "I'm Lily Evans, and this is Severus Snape. What's your name?" The girl introduced herself as Ria Lucas, and she sat with them until the other people in their compartment returned, at which point Ria said goodbye and went back to her original compartment. "I like her," Lily declared after she'd gone. Severus wasn't too sure, after all she was friends with those horrible boys. Still he let Lily just be happy.

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Ria wasn't looking forward to seeing the boys again but she wouldn't let that show. She didn't look at any of them as she went into the compartment, although she was slightly ticked off that the sudden stop in their conversation suggested they had been talking about her. At least, James and Sirius had been talking; Remus was still sitting there reading. She could hear James and Sirius whispering and was just about to tell them to shut up when James cleared his throat to get her attention. "Erm, Ria?" Ria felt slightly less annoyed when she saw the guilty look on his face, but she decided to wait for him to speak before she would forgive him. "We just wanted to say we were really sorry for how we acted." James poked Sirius in the ribs with his elbow, the other boy looking not at all sorry as he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. Sorry." Ria just ignored him.

"We shouldn't have said what we did, and we feel very guilty that we made you mad." He nudged Sirius again. "Don't we?"

"Yeah. Guilty." James was looking at her with big puppy eyes, like a dog who had done something bad and was waiting for its owner to tell it off. Ria was still slightly annoyed, especially at Sirius, but she could never hold a grudge against James for long. She sighed and held out her arms for a hug. James whooped and pulled her into a big bear hug, looking so excited that Ria just burst out laughing. "Yay, you love me again!" Ria slapped his arm, still smiling. At some point during their conversation, the train had stopped and people began departing.

'Yes we're all friends again, it's wonderful," Sirius huffed in annoyance when nobody moved, "but I'm starving so if we could please leave so I can eat."

"Since when are we friends?" Ria asked crossing her arms. Sirius just grinned and put his arms round her shoulders, leading her out of the compartment with James and Remus following.

"Aah, sweet, naive Ria. By the end of this year we'll be the best of friends." Ria raised her eyebrow, highly doubting that she and Sirius would be best friends. But still their argument was completely forgotten as they made their way onto the platform. They all looked around, not knowing what to do. "Er, guys? What now?" His question was answered by a loud voice that bellowed "Firs' years! Firs' years this way!"

"We just follow the voice, Sirius ol' chap," James said cheerily, clapping Sirius on his shoulder and leading the four towards the biggest man Ria had ever seen. Katherine had told Ria about Hagrid, the half giant Gameskeeper, but she still didn't expect him to be so, well, big. As James and Sirius took the lead into one of the boats that Hagrid pointed out, Ria hung back with Remus, who she guessed was just really shy.

"So... what House do you think you'll be in?" She asked, not really knowing what else to say. He gave her a small smile, figuring she was just trying to be polite. As they crossed the lake in the boats, the moonlight highlighted the scars on his face, and Ria wondered if that was why he practically had his head stuck in his book the whole train ride.

"Maybe Hufflepuff, like my parents," he eventually answered. Ria nodded, wondering if your family really did have an effect on what House you were put in. "What about you?"

"I'm not sure," Ria said, laughing slightly. "My dad and brother were Gryffindors, my mum and one of my sisters are Hufflepuffs and my other sister is in Ravenclaw. Maybe I'll be in Slytherin and complete the set." Remus chuckled with her, and they fell into a comfortable silence just as the boats rounded a corner and Hogwarts Castle was lit up in front of them. "Wow. It's even better than I imagined."

"Me too." From then on everything sort of blended together for Ria, and before she knew it all the First years were waiting in to be taken into the Great Hall for the sorting. Just as Mr Potter had said, there seemed to be about a hundred different rumours floating around. Everything from trying to defeat a troll to Ria's personal favourite, having 1 minute to try and get a hold of Dumbledore's beard. Apparently, depending on how long you took determined which House you went in. There were some first years who looked ready to throw up, a couple looked like they would collapse, and Ria swore she saw someone repeating their head on the wall, chanting "Why me? Why me?"

"Don't worry, whatever it is we can do it," James said reassuringly, although it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself - after all he had gone very pale. Ria looked around and saw Lily and Severus standing together apart from the rest of the students. Lily smiled at her and gave a small wave that Ria reciprocated. Severus just scowled. When James saw who she was looking at he frowned. "Do you know them?"

"Yeah, on my way back from changing I saw them in a compartment. I apologised on your behalf and introduced myself," Ria explained. James frown lessened when Ria said she apologised for them but it didn't disappear completely. "That's Lily and _Severus_." She emphasised the last part hoping the boys wouldn't start with the whole Snivellus thing again. James looked like he wanted to say something but at that moment the door opened revealing a stern looking Professor McGonagall. Katherine and Cecilia had assured her that she wasn't as bad as she looked. Nathan was something of a troublemaker and was always in detention with her, but he always argued that she had a soft spot for him, especially since he was in her House.

Professor McGonagall led them into the great hall, the other students all falling silent as they checked out the new students. Ria could feel herself shaking slightly, not liking all the attention they were receiving. Just in front of the head table there was a stool with a shabby looking hat placed on it, and Ria wondered what it was for. She certainly didn't expect it to start singing! It sang about all the Houses and their Founders, the importance of friendship and about sticking together in difficult or dangerous times. When it finished there was a round of applause which died down as Professor McGonagall unrolled a scroll of parchment. "When I call your name you will step forward, sit on the stall and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head. It will determine your House, which you will then join." Ria could see everyone was relieved, at least until their name was called. It wasn't long before someone Ria knew was called forward.

"Black, Sirius." Sirius stepped forward, looking as though he'd resigned himself to going to Slytherin. The Slytherin table seemed to expect this too, and nobody was more surprised than Sirius himself when the hat suddenly shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" There was maybe a second pause and then the red and gold table erupted in cheers. Sirius looked incredibly relieved as he handed the hat back and joined them. A few more people were sorted, including Evans, Lily who went to Gryffindor, much to Severus's disappointment. There was a few more people and then "Lucas, Audrey." James squeezed Ria's hand as she made her way through the crowd and sat on the stool. McGonagall placed the hat on her head, and Ria jumped slightly when the hat began talking to her.

"_Well, well, well, another Lucas. Let me think, maybe it'll be Gryffindor like your brother, or Ravenclaw like your sister. Maybe even Hufflepuff. Where shall we put you...?" _The voice was kind of creepy, and Ria just wanted it to hurry up so she wouldn't have everyone stare at her any more. "_You don't seem like a Ravenclaw, academics isn't your strong point. I can see you're loyal to your friends, and you have a kind heart. You doubt that you're brave enough for Gryffindor but I see something, deep down that tells me otherwise. If the chance arises, you will find the courage. Therefore, I think you'll make a good _GRYFFINDOR!_" _The red and gold table cheered and Ria was sure McGonagall gave her a small smile as she handed the hat back.

Ria took her seat beside Lily and watched as Remus and James were sorted into Gryffindor, and Severus sorted into Slytherin. They were joined by a few more Gryffindors and then finally the last person was sorted into Ravenclaw. Everything grew silent as Dumbledore stood to deliver his start of term speech. "To our new students, welcome. To our old friends, welcome back! I hope this year will be just as enjoyable for you as the last, but remember, you must work hard. Now I shan't delay the feat any longer so I shall leave you with these parting words. Fiddlesticks, gloop and glump." Everyone laughed at the completely random words, only to then gasp in wonder as food appeared in front of them. Ria shook her head at the boys as they piled their plates with food and began eating as if they'd been starved for years. Lily made a disgusted noise at Sirius, who had some how managed to fit 3 roast potatoes in his mouth. There was many different conversations going on throughout the meal, and by the time they went to bed, Ria had made several new friends and couldn't wait to begin her life at Hogwarts.

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**Sorry if this seems a bit rushed, I really wanted to finish the first year section so I could move on with the rest of the story. I even wrote this whilst I had a thumping headache, I was that desperate to get it out lol! I hope you like it, and please let me know if you think everyone is in character, that's probably what I struggle with the most. The next chapter will be up on Monday and will skip probably to fourth year-ish. Hope you enjoyed it :) **


	4. Tears, Orders and Sisterly Squabbles

**A/N: Hey guys, here is the next chapter for you! I had to correct a mistake I made in the last chapter - I said Ria had blonde hair when I actually intended for her to have light brown hair. I've corrected it and if you ever see me write blonde when you think I meant brown please let me know. And thank you to Born-In-Wonderland for following and reviewing this story! Thank you for saying you love it, if you're wondering how long the story will be then I'm hoping to get to at least 30 chapters or so, but if I run out of ideas before that then it might end before, and her is an update for you :)**

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**Chapter 4 - Tears, Orders and Sisterly Squabbles**

_**Four years later...**_

The way someone typically expects to wake up is slowly, calmly and peacefully. If it's like the movies then maybe there'll be birds singing outside their window. Someone will have left them a warm cup of tea for them, and sunlight will be streaming through the windows. Their hair will be perfect and they will look lovely. They will glide out of bed and slip on fluffy slippers before starting their day. People do not expect to be woken up by a pillow repeatedly hitting their head, or to then be so surprised that they fall out of bed. This was how Ria Lucas began her day.

"Come on lazybones! We only have a few hours before we need to leave," the pillow wielding person said, tossing said instrument of torture onto the bed and darting out of the room. Ria groaned as she sat up, guessing from the smell of perfume that it was her sister Cecilia who had decided Ria needed to wake up 2 hours before her alarm went off. Unlike Cecilia, Ria didn't need 3 hours to get ready. It was only when she got the letter telling her she was Head Girl that Cecilia seemed to realise that this was her last year at Hogwarts, and ever since she had done everything to try and make it 'perfect'. She'd always been a bit of a control freak but this was controlling on a whole new level.

Someone sighed from the door way and Ria found her other sister Katherine standing there looking as equally annoyed as Ria felt, the only difference being that Katherine was soaking wet. Ria couldn't help compare her to Socks, her black and white cat who was once left outside while it rained. By accident of course.

"What happened to you?" Ria managed to get out between laughs. Before Katherine could even open her mouth Cecilia stuck her head back round the door.

"The pillow proved ineffective on that one," she said, her voice and facial expressions deadly serious. Ria snorted as Cecilia disappeared and Katherine stuck her tongue out at her twin. Even though they were fraternal twins they were nothing alike, in appearance or personality. Cecilia was the girly one where as Katherine was the sporty one. Cecilia's top priority was working hard in school whilst Katherine's mind was always on Quidditch. And Ria was some where in the middle.

"Kathy, you're dripping on my floor," Ria pointed out. "Please cle- aah!" Katherine shook herself like a dog, sending water everywhere, including on Ria. "Thanks for that."

"You're welcome." Ria rolled her eyes at her crazy sister before making her bed and drying her room. Of course she had to do it all the muggle way seeing as she was the only one in her house who couldn't do magic outside of school yet. She probably wouldn't have used magic even if she could - both of her parents came from mixed muggle/magic families so they always taught their children to not be lazy and to do things the muggle way.

By the time she was finished it was only half past 6, leaving her with 2 and a half hours until they needed to leave. She had packed her trunk the night before and Cecilia had picked out what clothes she would be wearing on the train, so she didn't need to do either of those. She'd already brushed her teeth but would wait till later before showering. Deciding she might as well eat, Ria made her way down to the kitchen, passing her emotional mother and squabbling sisters on the way. Her dad was sitting in the kitchen, quietly eating his breakfast and reading the newspaper.

"Hey munchkin," he greeted, not even looking up from the article he was looking at.

"How'd you know it was me? You didn't even look," Ria asked, helping herself to some bacon and toast.

"Because you weren't crying, telling me what to do, or moaning about your sister," Grayson explained. Ria chuckled, wondering how her poor dad put up with them. She had just finished when Cecilia marched in, ordering her to go take a shower and get dressed. And if she complained, Cecilia promised to transfigure her into a snail. Needless to say Ria did not complain. It took Ria just over half an hour to shower, change and towel off her hair (Cecilia would magically dry it later). She was surprised to find that she liked what Cecilia had chosen for her to wear - pale blue skinny jeans, a peach coloured t-shirt with a lace overlay and white trainers. Considering what it could have been Ria was very relieved.

"Sit," Cecilia ordered when she came to dry Ria's hair. Having been up since 5 am, Cecilia had finished getting ready ages ago, Katherine didn't need any more supervision from that point on, and their mum and dad were more than capable of getting ready on their own. Drying Ria's hair with magic took less than 10 seconds, and Cecilia took it one step further and decided to loosely curl it. "Might as well now we're here." That took a little bit longer since Cecilia was a perfectionist and there could be no curl out of place. When she finished Cecilia took a step back and smiled proudly at her sister. "Ooh, you look so pretty."

"I really doubt that," Ria said, turning to look in the mirror. Her light brown hair was curled perfectly, just reaching down past her chest, the tiny bit of mascara she put on opened up her eyes and made the dark blue stand out, and the clothes emphasised her tiny figure (although that was thanks to genetics and Quidditch - otherwise with the food she ate she would be as large as Professor Slughorn).

"What'll you do without me next year?" Cecilia asked, trying to keep the mood light, even though her eyes were slightly teary. Without saying anything, Ria hugged her sister, her chin resting on Cecilia's shoulder. Ria felt another pair of arms wrap round them as Katherine appeared out of nowhere and joined in the hug. Even though they sometimes argued and they were very different, it was moments like this when Ria knew she loved her sisters. She didn't even want to think about what would happen if she lost her sisters. Nathan was away traveling, and even though he visited and wrote to her all the time, that was hard enough. Next year she'd have to go almost a whole year without any of them. Pushing the unwanted thoughts away, Ria just focused on the present. Cecilia was quizzing Katherine to make sure she had done everything, and at 8 o'clock she ordered Ria to go tell the Potters they were almost ready to leave.

Every year since Ria and James had started Hogwarts, the Potters had joined the Lucas's in travelling to Kings Cross Station, and this year was no exception. Thanking some higher power that the weather was sunny and warm, Ria made the five minute walk to the Potters. When Ria was a child, Mrs Potter had looked after her whilst her siblings were at Hogwarts and her parents were at work and Ria felt extremely comfortable around them. It was Mr Potter who opened the door to Ria, instantly inviting her in and pulling her into a massive bear hug. She'd actually rarely seen Mr Potter over the summer, with things becoming worse in the wizarding world he was often at work, but he had managed to get the day off to say goodbye to his son. "Ria, m'dear, so lovely to see you. Haven't you grown!"

"Oh Charles, leave her be," Dorea Potter said, coming to greet Ria with a warm smile. "James is in his room dear, just go on up. We'll go ahead to see your parents."

"Thank you Mrs Potter, nice to see you Mr Potter, see you in a while," Ria said, making her way up the giant staircase to James's room. Ria had been in James's house hundreds of times and knew the way to his bedroom as easily as she did her own.

"Oi Potter! You best be nearly ready, Cecilia's taken control freak to a whole new level today," she said as she poked her head round his door, her hand covering her eyes just in case. There'd been one time too many when she'd just walked in and seen more than she'd wanted to.

"Hello to you too," She heard James's voice from somewhere to her left, "How is that anyway to talk to your best friend?"

"Not nice at all Lucas." Ria had nearly forgotten that Sirius was staying with James, but she was quickly reminded by his voice right by her ear, making her jump. "And anyway, I thought I was your best friend?"

"You are, Sirius ol' chap, I was merely suggesting that young Miss Lucas here has no other friends, and so to her I am indeed her best friend." Ria bravely peeked through her fingers, and seeing both boys full dressed proceeded to remove her hand completely. Ria rolled her eyes at James, making herself comfortable on his bed.

"In case you're forgetting James, my best friend happens to be a certain red haired witch who you happened to be obsessed with," Ria countered, smugly smiling as James's smirk fell, "Otherwise known as Miss Lily Evans." Sirius chuckled.

"She got you there mate," he admitted.

"I am not obsessed with Evans!" Sirius and Ria glanced at each other, then both gave James a very doubtful look. He got a very far away look and a goofy smile. "She is pretty though, isn't she?"

"Okay, lover boy, whatever you say," Sirius said, doing up his trunk. Having finished, he leant against the wall and smiled at Ria, giving her the same look that made most girls fall head over heels for him. He was only 14 (nearly 15) and even Ria could admit that he was extremely good looking. Even so, she had never been like the other girls in being completely in love with him. She knew him too well for that. And besides, she liked someone else. "So, Lucas, did I mention that you look pretty damn good today?"

"Wow, a compliment from Sirius Black!" Ria mockingly gasped, putting her hand to her chest. "My life is complete, now I can die happy." Sirius's smile was replaced by a smirk, and he muttered something about her one day falling for him. "I highly doubt that. Now, come on, I don't exactly want to get on Cecilia's bad side today. And mum's already cried 3 times today."

"No kidding," James said, giving her a sympathetic look. He and Sirius grabbed their stuff and Ria followed them downstairs having grabbed whatever they couldn't carry.

"Yep, having two children in their last year of school really got to her," Ria explained. "I dread to think of what she'll be like when it's our last year."

"Well, we've still got a few years before that," Sirius said as they approached Ria's house. Cecilia was already waiting out the front, not happy with how long it took Ria to get the boys and for them to get back.

"We are on a schedule!" She shouted, her arms flapping into the air as she stormed into the house. Sirius looked terrified, James only slightly less so, whilst Ria just rolled her eyes.

"We have to get in a car with that?" Sirius said, gesturing towards the house where Cecilia's voice could still be heard.

"I've survived 14 years, I think you can last for an hour or so," Ria said, enjoying the wide eyed look on Sirius's face. _If only I could capture this forever._ "Oh, and by the way, she's the new Head Girl." Strangely enough, after she said that, Sirius made sure he did exactly as he was told. He even made sure he walked at the right pace through the barrier to Platform 9 and 3/4, having been walking 'much too fast to appear nonchalant'. Ria and James made sure to never let him forget that.

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**I intended to put the train ride in here too, but that would have been too long so I may put that in next chapter, or I may skip to the first night/first day of lessons. I'll think about it. I'm actually quite happy with this chapter! It's been ages since I've written anything (before this story) but I feel that the beginning bit at least is like how I used to write, so hopefully that means I'm getting back into the swing of things and my chapters will be written much better from now on :)**

**So as far as updates go for this week, there will be one tomorrow and one one Wednesday, but after that there won't be any till next Monday. Basically I have to go to London for a job interview on Thursday, and that's gonna take most of the day, then Friday is my admin day at school (we return all our textbooks and stuff) and Graduation Ball (prom) in the evening. I may be able to upload something on Saturday but probably not, weekends are a time that's almost impossible for me to update in.**

**Hope you liked this chapter, please let me know if there's anything you don't like or think needs improving, that will be a real benefit to me, which in turn makes my writing better and benefits you. Oh, and if Ria seems like too much of a Mary Sue then please let me know! :)**


	5. Well, Duh!

**A/N: Sorry guys, I meant to put this chapter up sometime last week but I couldn't quite get it right (this was a very hard chapter to write for some reason) and it was a very busy and sad week. My aim from now on is to post chapters at least twice a week, although there might only be one chapter if it's a hard one to write. Thank you guys so much for your response to this story, you guys are amazing! Thank you to KT Lee, Lupinismywerewolf (love the name btw!) and Lady Cocoa for following and favouriting this story, you guys are wonderful! Another thanks to Lady Cocoa for favouriting me as an author, thank you so much! And thanks to valentinalovesmonkeys, FreeSpiritSeeker, Lupinismywerewolf and Lady Cocoa for your reviews! I apologise if I've missed anyone out or spelt your names wrong, please let me know if I have :)  
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**To valentinalovesmonkeys: Thank you for the advice, it's so helpful and glad you like the story so far :D please let me know if you think I've taken your advice on board or not xx  
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**To FreeSpiritSeeker: Your wish is my command *bows like a genie* ;) thank you, I had no idea whether to include the train ride or not, but if you want to see it then it shall be done! And you've given me a good idea there ;P xx**

**To Lupinismywerewolf: I LOVE your name! Ah thank you, I always worry with stories like this whether I'm getting JK Rowlings characters personalities right and they're not too OOC and then with my own characters I don't want to make them too unrealistic :) xx**

**To Lady Cocoa: I do indeed live in Europe, in South East England to be exact :) Thank you very much :) It will definitely be continued, hopefully to about 30 chapters or so if I can manage it :D xx**

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**Chapter 5 - Well, Duh!**

"So your mum's taking them leaving fairly well." Allison Kennedy sarcastically commented, motioning to the platform where Katherine was attempting to pry their mother off of her, while Cecilia edged further and further away from them. Allison, known as Ally to her friends, shared a dormitory with Ria and their other friends, Sophie Bennett, Mary McDonald and Lily Evans. They only became best friends, however, in the second week of first year after Ria prevented Ally from accidentally walking into the boys bathroom. Since then the girls had been almost inseparable. Ria nodded, leading her friends down the corridor to try and find a compartment.

"Yeah she's only had three emotional breakdowns this morning," she said very seriously. Ally bit her lip to stop from bursting out laughing. She was a middle child but remembered all too well what her own mother was like when her eldest sibling finished school and her youngest sibling started. She repressed a shudder at the memory, dodging a couple of third years running down the carriage. The train was slowly getting busier as people realised they would have to get on the train at some point, the sudden influx of people making the corridors even harder to get through.

Ria jumped out the way of a miserable looking seventh year, although it wasn't as graceful as she would have liked and she ended up tripping over her own feet and falling straight over onto her back. She moaned and pointed at the ceiling. "Someone up there really has it in for me today." Looking at her friends she realised she wouldn't be getting any help from them. Sirius and James were laughing so hard they had to hold onto each other for support, and Ally was trying (and failing) to control her laughter, and ended up struggling to breathe. Ria sighed and closed her eyes, thinking she might as well just stay on the floor for the rest of the ride. "It really wasn't that funny!"

"I've never exactly had a girl fall at my feet before," a familiar voice said from somewhere above her. "But I think I could get used to it." Ria warily opened one eye, seeing Remus Lupin grinning down at her. Ria smiled back at him, her cheeks tinged pink as she realised she had literally fallen at his feet.

"Hey Remus," she said, awkwardly waving. "How are you?" Remus just chuckled and helped her up, both trying not to blush at the contact. "Thank you very much for your help," she said pointedly, glaring at her other friends. Sirius just wiped away the tears rolling down his face, James straightened up his glasses and Ally managed to get her breath back, all of them grinning widely even as Ria glared at them.

"Very ladylike, Lucas," Sirius commented, ignoring Ria poking her tongue out at him. "Remus ol' chum, how the devil are you?" Sirius clapped him on his back, leading them down the corridor and finally into an empty compartment. It was only as Sirius dragged Remus away that Ria realised he hadn't immediately let go of her hand once she was back on her feet.

"And you made Chaser... how?" James cheekily commented as he walked passed Ria into the compartment, just about dodging the slap she had aimed at his head. Ally opened her mouth and quickly shut it again at the look Ria gave her, something crossed between 'laugh and I'll kick a puppy' and 'speak at your own risk'. Instead she grinned innocently and made the shape of a heart with her hands.

"I love you." Ria laughed and gently shoved Ally into the compartment where she dropped into the seat next to James, leaving the seat next to Remus as the only one available. Unfortunately for Ria the train jolted to a start just as she went to sit down, making her drop onto the seat like a sack of potatoes.

"Say anything and you're a dead man," Ria threatened as Sirius opened his mouth to speak. He closed it and gave her his most innocent look, which turned into a smirk as she rolled her eyes. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, James, Sirius and Remus began discussing their usual start of year prank, and they were eventually joined by Peter Pettigrew who managed to find their compartment about fifteen minutes after they left the station. Ria actually quite liked Peter. He was probably the most innocent of the Marauders, and Ria felt that James and Sirius in particular took advantage of how much he seemed to worship them. He had always been nice to Ria, especially she had helped him with homework a few times, and the two were fairly good friends.

"...so then I'm stuck sitting at the childrens table with a bunch of little snotty kids, and one of them decides to stick his chewing gum in my hair." Ally was telling Ria about her summer, and had just finished explaining why her once long hair now only reached about halfway down her neck. "I actually quite like it now though, don't really have to do anything to it." Ally was the most optimistic person Ria knew, always looking for the good things and never dwelling on the bad. She never raised her voice to anyone, couldn't stand arguments and never held a grudge. Her calming nature had actually come in quite handy a few times over the years when the other girls had gotten into stupid arguments.

"Yeah it su-" _Tap, tap. _The compartment door opened and Luke Blake stepped into their compartment before leaning casually on the door frame. Luke was the Gryffindor Quidditch captain and had been for the past two years. This year would be his third and final year, and they all knew how much he wanted to leave with a Gryffindor victory.

"Hey guys, just thought I'd pop in and say hi," he said looking Ria, James and Sirius in particular. Ria noticed Ally looking at Luke with a dreamy look on her face, and she remembered to store this away for later. "Wanted to see how my team's doing."

"O Captain, my Captain," Sirius cried dramatically, holding his hand to his chest.

"Well James and I are fine, not entirely sure about Sirius though." Luke laughed, taking a seat beside Ria and putting his arm around her shoulders. Ria raised an eyebrow at the random action, not noticing how Remus's smile fell just the tiniest bit.

"I always loved your sense of humour Ria, darling." Luke had always been jokingly flirty with all his female team members, something they'd gotten used to over the years, but he'd never taken it this far before. "And might I add that you're looking very lovely today."

"Hmm... thanks?" Luke grinned and Ria felt even more confused. _Why is he being extra nice to me in particular, what's changed since last... oh._ It suddenly dawned on Ria. "This wouldn't have anything to do with my sister being made Hufflepuff captain, would it?"

"I am offended!" Luke jumped up, looking genuinely shocked. Ria crossed her arms and pursed her lips. James was reminded of the look Professor McGonagall gives right before she tells him she has detention. "I am genuinely hurt that you think I had some ulterior motive, other than giving my star chaser a compliment."

"Oi! Another chaser in the room over here!" Ria gave James a sympathetic look before rounding on Luke again.

"However, while we're on that subject there are a few things I'd like to kno-"

"Get out." Ria ordered, shoving Luke back out the door with him firing random questions at her the whole time.

"-has she let anyone on the team go? When is she scheduling practices? What's her ideas for playing in bad weather..." Ria slammed the compartment door shut, effectively muffling his questions. Luke stood with his hands on his hips, slowly shaking his head. He cautiously slid the door open. "Well that was just rude." SLAM! He had barely closed the door before Ria launched an empty Bertie Botts box at his head. Looking completely terrified, Luke took off down the corridor, leaving a bewildered group of people behind.

"What just happened?" Peter asked looking completely dazed.

"No idea, Pete." It was Remus who replied, looking much more relaxed knowing that Luke wasn't really flirting with Ria. Ally shot Ria a look before grabbing her coat and standing up.

"Not that sitting with you isn't completely thrilling, but we're gonna go find our friends." She gave the boys a quick wave before practically dragging Ria out of the compartment.

"See ya!"

"Bye then"

"Give my regards to Evan- ough!" Ally linked her arm with Rias as they wandered down the corridor at a leisurely pace. They weren't in any big rush to find their other friends, and besides, Ally wanted to talk to Ria alone.

"Soo... did I notice a little blush when Remus helped you up earlier?"

"What, no, of course not! Is that Lucy Briggs, hasn't she lost weight?" Ria inwardly cringed. Ally knew that when she began babbling then it meant she was lying, and right now she was babbling like an idiot.

"Ria, I'm your best mate, you don't have to lie to me. I know all about your little crush on Re-" Ria quickly stuck her hand over Ally's mouth before she could reveal anything.

"Sshhh! Don't say it out loud!" Ally stopped struggling and Ria withdrew her hand. "Did you just lick me?!"

"Yes." Ally shrugged. She veered off into a compartment, directing Ria to follow her in. "Now, what are we going to do about this then?"

"Ooh, what are we doing about what?" Ria closed her eyes, hoping she was just dreaming and she was still the only one who knew about her secret. "Ria darling you'll have to open your eyes at some point." That was Sophie Bennett, sat somewhere on Ria's right. Ally shoved her down onto a seat and she reluctantly opened her eyes.

"Now what exactly is the 'this' you were talking about then?" Mary McDonald asked, closing her book and leaning in expecting to hear a good piece of gossip.

"Yes, do please tell." Lily Evans asked, putting her feet across Ria's lap and preventing her from escaping. Ria glared at Ally who only smiled back innocently. "Ooh, is this about Ria being completely in love with Remus?" None of the others looked at all surprised, and immediately started grinning as though they were plotting something evil.

"What the hell, you all knew?" All four nodded making Ria groan. If they worked it out then who else had? Had James and Sirius? Had Remus? "And besides it's only a crush, I'm not 'completely in love'."

"Yet."

"So now you know that we know then we can actually talk about it," Mary reasoned. She had actually put her book away, and Ria took this to mean she'd be there for a while, especially since Lily's feet on her lap kept her from making a desperate escape. "When did it all begin?"

Ria sighed, resigning herself to her fate. "Well, it probably started some time last year..."

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**Don't worry guys, I know this chapter completely sucks! I had total writers block here but hopefully the next few will be better because then they'll be back at Hogwarts and all that stuff. Hope you still want to stick with me and with this story even after the rubbish chapter xx**


	6. Marauder Code, Rule No 7

**Thanks to cupcakes-and-wisdom, 42 Worlds Apart and TheGirlWhoBelieved for following this story and to cupcakes-and-wisdom, TheGirlWhoBelieved3 (again! you guys rock!) and Jovie Black for favouriting this story! And another humungous thank you to cupcakes-and-wisdom for following me as an author and favouriting me as an author! :D Also a big thank you to valentinalovesmonkeys for all your reviews on my other story, thank you very much for those!**

**To Lady Cocoa: She totally is! She has no choice, I have all the power mwahahahaha! Aww thank you so much for that, that gave me a really confidence boost (even if it is completely possible for me to write rubbish chapters :) Thank you for your review :) xx**

**To FreeSpiritSeeker: Well I'm not the best at writing humorous bits but I thought why not :) Thank you for your review! Here is the next chapter for you :) xx**

**By the way guys, I'm loving all the usernames I'm seeing! I'm very interested in the origins of peoples usernames, so if you wanna tell me where yours came from I'd love to hear it :) Mine is literally Miss + my first name + my middle name, if you were wondering :) Hope you guys like this chapter :)**

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**Chapter 6 - Marauder Code, Rule No 7**

**_Meanwhile in the boys compartment..._**

No sooner had the compartment door slid shut behind Ria and Ally that the boys, naturally, started talking about them. Being the hormone controlled boys that they were, the first thing out of Sirius's mouth was "Merlin, puberty's really doing it's job, ey?" He lifted his feet onto the bench and placed his hands behind his head, sending a quick wink to the fifth-year girls standing outside their door who then giggled and scurried off. The Marauders were practically the most popular guys in the entire school, each of them having their own little 'fan club', though none of them were quite as big (or crazy) as Sirius's. One girl had even offered them money just to let her into their dormitory so she could see where Sirius _slept_. It probably would have worked better if she was actually in Gryffindor.

"What d'you mean?" James was still rubbing his sore head from where Sirius had whacked him. They were attempting to help him in his little obsession with Lily Evans. And by 'help' they meant hit him whenever James brought her up in conversation. "You owe me a chocolate frog for that, mate, my head still bloody hurt!" Sirius rolled his eyes but passed one over anyway.

"_I mean_ the girls really got hot over the summer. Our little Ria in particular," Sirius explained. Peter enthusiastically nodded whilst James shrugged, the area around his mouth completely smothered in chocolate. _Jeez he eats like a pig_. Remus, on the other hand, nodded along but was trying to come up with ways to subtly change the conversation. He'd had a crush on Ria pretty much ever since they'd been partnered together in transfiguration, way back at the start of second year, and he didn't particularly want to hear Sirius prattle on about her. Not that he didn't agree that she was attractive, he just gave her a bit more respect than calling her 'hot' and thinking of ways to get her into a broomstick cupboard for a snog. It was bad enough seeing that Quidditch Captain flirt with her, enough though he was only joking around.

He still remembered the conversation they'd had in the boats before they were sorted, and they'd been good friends ever since then. They'd wrote to each other a little bit over the summer and talked when they bumped into each other in Diagon Alley, but he wanted to have an actual face to face conversation with her. She was a great listener and more than once he considered telling her his 'furry little secret'. Must be something to do with that friendship group because Lily was the exact same. Remus had to remind himself that they now had the whole year to talk, but classes, homework and Quidditch practices would take up a fair portion of their time. Not to mention that she'd be with her friends, a group that included Lily Evans, and therefore would be steering well clear of the Marauders.

"Wonder how good of a snogger she is...?" Remus had temporarily zoned out of the conversation but Sirius's comment brought him back into it with the force of a speeding train. He was about to tell Sirius to shut up when James beat him to the punch.

"Look, Sirius, I agree she grew up quite a bit over the summer," he admitted, ignoring Sirius's smug expression, "_but_ she's practically my little sister. Therefore I'm enacting Rule 7 of the 'Marauder Code.'" Sirius groaned, letting his head fall back to hit the window. James ignored him, looking more serious than they'd ever seen him.

"Do we really need to...?" Let me explain. The 'Marauder Code' was a list of rules and guidelines created by the boys in their second year not long after they discovered Remus's secret. He swore them to secrecy and made them promise not to tell anyone unless he specifically said it was alright. That became Rule 1, and from that they created a list of other rules that developed into the 'Marauder Code'. It ranged from the serious to the silly, from 'A Marauder must never reveal Remus's secret without express permission from said Marauder' to 'All Marauders must buy at least one round of Butterbeer over the course of a years Hogsmeade visits.'

"Yes we do." James pulled out his wand ready to begin the procedure. Because there wasn't a table, he placed it in the centre of the floor and looked expectingly at Sirius. "Alright, wand in. All of you." He added as an afterthought looking at Remus and Peter. Remus grudgingly did as he was told, placing his wand over James's to form a cross. Sirius placed his on the pile next and Peter put his on last of all, making his and Sirius's wands form another cross. Together it made an eight point star which they then all placed their hands on. "Repeat after me. I swear to abide by Rule 7, enacted by James Charles Potter."

_"I swear to abide by Rule 7, enacted by James Charles Potter." _

"I swear to do this knowing full well my friend is trusting me to abide by this rule."

_"I swear to do this knowing full well my friend is trusting me to abide by this rule." _

"I am a little girl who wears pink frilly dresses." James was met with three blank expressions and he only shrugged, slightly disappointed that none of them had fallen for it. "Worth a shot." They all removed their hands and took back their respective wands from the pile. "To cover everything, the girl in question is Audrey Lucas. My reason is that she's like my sister and I promised that I would protect her. Plus, if you all had sisters then you know I would swear to this rule without question - I'm just saying!"

"Dammit, that's actually a pretty good reason." Sirius admitted, hoping he could some how find a loophole in the rule. Had James not specifically mentioned Ria's name then he could just go with that. But no, he specifically mentioned her by name, meaning he couldn't use that as a reason for breaking the rule. Normally he wouldn't even consider going to these lengths just for a quick snog but Ria wasn't just any girl. She wasn't afraid to stand up to _anyone_ if she felt they were being prats (*cough* James *cough*) and she would defend anyone if she felt they were being mistreated. Most of the arguments over the years actually came from her defending Snape when the boys pranks got a bit out of hand. And... she didn't care where he came from. Definitely for the first couple of years of school there was a stereotype surrounding him with everyone assuming he was the same as his horrid family. Gryffindors, Slytherins, even teachers treated him strangely for a while. But not Ria. She would treat him like anyone else, acting completely crazy with him when they were on a sugar high or just listening to him when he needed to rant. Sure he wanted to snog her but he also didn't want to lose her as a friend. _Maybe there's the best of both worlds..._

"You all know the rule?"

"James we all memorised the rules years ago." Sirius sighed, unhappy about what he just agreed to. "'_If a Marauder gives a legitimate reason, then he may declare a girl off limits to the other Marauders._'"

"'_The only exception being unless said girl also shows interest, in which case the rule is null and void._'"

"'_If the rule is enacted then it lasts indefinitely or until the Marauder who enacts it says otherwise._'" Only after they finished reciting the rule did James look happy. It wasn't that he didn't trust them (he trusted all of them with his life), it was just that Ria was like the little sister he never had and he would do everything to protect her and care for her. Even if it meant swearing his friends to abide by a certain rule.

"Okay good," he said as he placed his feet on the seat opposite him. Grinning widely he help up a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans. "Anyone up for a game of Jelly Bean Roulette?"

* * *

_**Back in the girls compartment...**_

Ria leant back in her seat, thoroughly exhausted from the train ride. Almost the entire journey she had been quizzed non-stop about her crush, and even had to sit through Sophie and Mary planning how she could get Remus's attention. About halfway through the journey she decided to go ahead and change into her school robes, if only to give herself 5 minutes peace. When she came back she found the compartment very different to how she left it. Lily and Ally were sat on one side with Mary and Sophie on the other, but what surprised Ria the most was that Lily and Sophie were glaring at each other. The whole compartment just felt awkward and, if Ria had to guess, she'd say they had been fighting.

"Okay, what happened?" She sighed, still standing. She knew that if she sat down then that might be seen as 'taking sides'. Both Lily and Sophie immediately started talking and Ria could only make out snippets of what they were saying. They both finished with a huff and sat back in their seats, crossing their arms and glaring at the other. "Erm... what?"

"I'm sorry if I was only trying to help, how much of a bad friend am I?" Sophie said sarcastically, her comment directed at the red haired girl sat opposite her.

"Oh not as much as me, apparently I'm such a bitch for standing up for my friend and her privacy!" Lily shouted back, her arms waving around wildly as she talked. Ria was beginning to understand what they meant, and was both annoyed and guilty that she was the root cause of their argument. If she had just kept everything to herself then maybe there wouldn't be an argument. Ria motioned for Ally and Mary to follow her into the corridor which they hurriedly did.

"And try not to kill each other you two." Was all she said to Lily and Sophie before shutting the compartment door behind her. They immediately began shouting at each other, causing Ria to rub her temples in frustration. Mary and Ally looked at her in concern, but both of them were equally relieved to be away from the fighting. "Five minutes I was gone for! What happened? Start from the beginning and please be objective." It seemed that Sophie had suggested that the four of them subtly drop hints to Remus about Ria's crush - without Ria's knowledge. If Remus felt the same way then maybe he would do something about it. If not then he just wouldn't act on it, and Ria's feelings wouldn't be hurt because she'd know nothing about it. Sophie was convinced it would work but Lily thought differently. She made the point that Ria didn't even want to tell them in the first place (Ally guiltily looked away at this point) and so they should respect her privacy and not say anything. One thing led to another and the result was World War III in the tiny compartment on the Hogwarts Express.

"It got pretty bad at one point," Mary explained, looking back at the compartment. It was quite amusing watching all the younger students run past in fear when they heard the shouting. "There were a few bad words flying around."

"They'll be friends again in no time." Ally, ever the optimist, said certainly. "You watch, by the feast it will all have blown over." Ria was doubtful but let Ally believe what she wanted to.

The carriage ride to the castle was incredibly awkward - Lily and Sophie refused to sit anywhere near one another and so Ria, Ally and Mary had to sit in between them. They'd stopped shouting at each other at least, but Ria wasn't sure if hostile silence was any better. Ally made a few attempts at starting up a conversation but nothing worked.

"So, wonder what the first years are gonna be like this year?" _Silence_.

"I hope there's chocolate mousse - I sure do love that stuff." _More silence_.

"I'm pregnant and Mary's the father, any thoughts?" _Even more silence_. Well there was silence from Sophie and Lily. Ria snorted and Mary rolled her eyes and mumbled something that sounded like 'you wish'. By the time the carriage pulled up outside the castle they were all thoroughly fed up and irritable. Even Ally, and for her to be annoyed at something was quite significant. She finally blew when they were waiting to actually enter the castle. As always there was a large amount of students trying to get into the school and, as large as the great oak doors were, there was a limit to how many people could fit through it at once. Having to wait certainly didn't help the girls moods. They couldn't have been waiting any longer than five minutes when the arguing started up again.

"She was looking at me funny!"

"Oh please, I glanced in your direction and _you_ were giving _me_ a dirty look!"

"Yeah, sure I was! You're completely delusional."

"Oh I'm delusional? If anyone's delusional then it's you-"

"SHUT UP!" For a moment everything and everyone seemed to pause and fall silent. Allison Kennedy, the girl who hated arguments, who never raised her voice, who was always exceptionally calm and serene had just yelled at someone! Ally's hand were balled into fists and it looked like she was struggling to control herself. Ria and Mary shared a worried look whilst Sophie and Lily looked completely gobsmacked.

"She's finally cracked..." Mary leant over and whispered to Ria. Had the situation not suddenly become so tense and had Ally not looked _murderous_ then Ria would have laughed. As it was they weren't quite sure what Ally would do.

"Now, I know you both only had your friends interests at heart, and you both think you were doing the right thing but arguing over this is completely ridiculous and, frankly, pathetic!" LIly and Sophie looked down at Ally's words, neither wanting to meet her gaze. "I mean honestly! We're taking our OWL's next year, more than halfway through our education, and you're behaving like bloody children. Grow up and apologise like adults or I'll make you!" Not wanting to upset Ally any further, the two girls immediately apologised, quite sincerely considering they were threatened into it. By the time they sat down at the Gryffindor table a few minutes later they were back to being best friends, laughing over their pointless argument.

"Told ya it would blow over by the feast." Ally smugly said, grinning like the cheshire cat as she ate another spoonful of chocolate mousse. Ria's head was still spinning over how quickly everything started and subsequently blew over. _That was a very eventful train ride..._ she thought, thoroughly exhausted but relieved that everything was now okay. Oh Ria honey you have no idea.

* * *

**So what do you think? Are the canon characters in character? Not too OOC? I really struggle with that sometimes, especially Sirius and Remus...**

**AND I was actually thinking about doing a series of one-shots with each one-shot being about how the rules in the 'Marauder Code' came about. Dunno if you'd be interested but as I was writing this the idea popped into my head :) xx**


	7. Cheesy Chocolate or Chocolatey Cheese

**I am so sorry I haven't updated in ages! Summer's been kind of crazy with the lead up to results day and stuff, and trying to figure out what I'm gonna be doing in the future. If you got your GCSE or A-Level results then I hope you're pleased with what you got! I got my A-Level results (CCE) and I was a little annoyed at myself for not doing better but, like my mum said, it's still 3 A-Levels and I got a call that same day saying I have an interview for an apprenticeship placement in a couple weeks so hopefully everything's starting to look up! Plus, if I get the placement, I'll start saving up money and be able to buy my own laptop so you'll be getting more updates :D On that note, if you guys want to follow me on tumblr then I can keep you updated on stuff and you can message me with ideas and stuff, or to tell me to get my lazy butt out of the armchair and start updating! My name is 'hold-infinity-in-your-palms' btw :) And sorry for the crappy chapter as well! Next one will be longer and better, I promise!**

**To TheGirlWhoBelieved3: You know when I read your name I got a Doctor Who vibe from it! I really like the story behind your name, it's so awesome :D Thank you very much, I always worry that I write canon characters out of character but thank you very much :) I'm definitely considering writing it but I'm running out of ideas for what the rules could be, if I can think of enough I might write it :) I'm the exact same way! I think the idea for Ally's little outburst came from when I watched Deathly Hallows Part 2 the other week, I just love Luna's little outburst at Harry and how he's so surprised! xx**

**To Lady Cocoa: Hehe, yeah that was inspired by one of my friends who was trying to cheer up another friend when she was in a bad mood, I just thought it was too funny not to add :D It always used to confuse me why there were different spellings for everything, I still don't really understand but hey ho :) Ah thank you, I shall definitely be working on that in future chapters :) xx**

**To cupcakes-and-wisdom: Yeah I wanna put them together soon but I don't want to rush it, hopefully they will be together by the end of their fourth year or at least on the way to being together :) My thoughts exactly, in my opinion Remus and Petunia are some of the most underrated characters in the entire story, and I read somewhere (possibly tumblr) that JK Rowling said Remus was a metaphor for HIV and it made me quite sad :( I love the name :D xx**

**To Kyoki no Megami: Thank you, I'm glad you find it interesting :) well I'm ashamed to say it's been a while since I updated but I am continuing with this story :) xx**

**To geekchic8428: Thank you, I have to admit my lack of updates recently might encourage people to become bored with it so I'm really pleased you carried on with it :) Coolio, that seems to be the general opinion so I'm seriously thinking about it! Here's an update for you, sorry it wasn't sooner :) xx**

**I'm ashamed to say that I got so behind on this story that I actually have no idea who followed, favourited, etc between the last chapter and this one! Big thanks to every single one of you, and I'm sorry I couldn't thank you all individually! **

**Ok guys I think I'm gonna need your help! I'm strongly considering writing the Marauder Code story I mentioned in the last chapter, the only problem is I'm having a bit of writer's block in that area and have run out of ideas for what the rules could be. So I was thinking that maybe you guys could submit any ideas you have and I could write the story based around the ideas you give me. You guys would get complete credit of course! If I use your idea (I'll try and use all of the ones I get) then I will write at the very top of the chapter something like _'Submitted by:...'_ or something along those lines. What do you guys think...? **

* * *

**Chapter 7 - Cheesy Chocolate or Chocolatey Cheese?**

It was much more of a challenge for Ria to get up the next morning than she'd like to admit. She was generally a morning person, during school time at least, but the summer holidays were a time for her to relax and have lie-ins. Going back to waking up early was difficult every single year. Pulling back the curtains surrounding her four poster bed, Ria quickly shut her eyes and cursed the sunlight so being so bloody bright. At least it woke her up a bit more. Once she was up then it was fine, it was the actual _getting up_ that was the problem. Looking around the dormitory Ria could see that Sophie and Mary were still fast asleep while Lily was sitting on her bed, already in her robes, and fixing her fiery hair into a bun. Ally was nowhere to be seen but the bathroom door was closed so Ria figured that was where she was.

"Good morning," Lily said when she noticed Ria was awake. Their beds were next to each other so Lily didn't need to speak loudly, but even if she did the other two wouldn't wake - the entire London Zoo could stampede through their room and Sophie and Mary would sleep through it. "Sleep well?" Ria nodded, yawning, and stretched her arms above her head.

"Think we need to get those two up yet?" Ria asked, nodding her head in Sophie and Mary's general direction. Lily smirked back at her, picking up her wand and thinking for a moment. Ria watched in amusement as Sophie and Mary both shot up, absolutely soaking wet. "Well...that'll do it!" Sophie spat a stream of water out her mouth before glaring at Lily whilst Mary just looked a bit confused and slightly sad. "You okay, Mary?"

"I was having a lovely dream. It was about cheese that smelled like chocolate..."

"Ooh I can imagine that would taste lovely," Ally sarcastically said, having emerged from the bathroom fully dressed and ready for the day. Ria grabbed her stuff and quickly darted in there before anybody else could, laughing as she heard Sophie tell Lily "If you don't fix this, the entire contents of your underwear drawer might just end up as decorations in the Great Hall!"

"Ok, ok, just sit still..." Ria shook her head, grateful that last nights fight seemed to be completely forgotten and there were no remaining hard feelings. After quickly brushing her teeth and putting on her uniform, she pulled her long brown hair round to one side and braided it, leaving a few loose curls to frame her face. Ria only ever wore makeup when she could be bothered to put it on, and today was definitely not one of those days. Still, _Cecilia would be proud that I at least tried with my hair_, she thought as she grabbed her pyjamas. Going back into the dormitory, Ria saw that Sophie and Mary were now dry, albeit still looking slightly dishevelled and a bit pissed off.

"We're going down to breakfast, you coming Ree?" Ally asked, heading for the door with Lily.

"Yeah, just coming." Ria grabbed her bag and followed the girls down to the Common Room. It was still pretty early so the only people around were first-years who were desperate not to be late on their first day, and a few older students who just wanted to get the day over with.

"What do we do now?" One of the first years squeaked. Lily gently directed them out the portrait hole and told them what to do, and they smiled gratefully before scurrying off.

"Remember when we were like that?" Ria sighed, remembering how big and daunting Hogwarts seemed when you were a first-year. By fourth year Hogwarts was their home away from home, and Professor McGonagall wasn't lying when she said your house became your family. "Were we ever that little?"

"What do you mean 'were'? Some of us still are," Ally joked, reminding them that she was the smallest of the group measuring a grand total of 5 feet and 1 inches. Being small suited her though. With her delicate heart shaped face and short pale blonde hair she always reminded Ria of a pixie or a fairy.

"You never know, you might have a massive growth spurt and be the tallest of us all."

"Well can it hurry up then? I keep getting mistaken for a second year." The walk to the great hall passed quickly, mostly involving Lily and Ria joking about Ally's height and wondering about what their timetable's would be like. The Gryffindor table was practically empty, only the three girls and the first years Lily talked to were there, and Ria chuckled at Lily's relieved sigh at seeing that it was a Marauder-free zone. For the time being anyway. James may have been her best friend for 14 years but even Ria could admit that they could be a bit much this early in the morning.

"Yay, there's bacon!" Ally happily squealed, piling her plate with it.

"Ally, it's breakfast. There's _always_ bacon." The girls were about halfway through breakfast when they were finally joined by Sophie and Mary, the latter still grumbling about cheese.

"...I'm telling you, it would actually be nice!" Sophie just nodded as she dropped into the seat next to Lily.

"No timetables yet?" She asked, piling her plate with scrambled egg. Ally shook her head.

"Nah McGonagall's not been down here yet."

"Well good morning girls," an all too familiar voice said from behind Ria and Ally. "And don't we all look lovely today!"

"What do you want, Black?" Ria didn't even bother looking up from her breakfast, knowing he was just being annoying for the sake of it. Even though Ria couldn't see it, Sirius was smirking behind her, ignoring the warning glare coming from James.

"Sorry about him," Remus apologised as he and Peter sat down at the table. To his annoyance, Sirius took a seat next to Ria and slung his arm across her shoulder.

"Ria, darling, one might think you didn't like me!"

"What would give you that idea?" Ria bit back a smile as she heard Lily angrily say "No, Potter, even if it was a choice between you and the giant squid I still wouldn't go out with you!"

"Anyhoo, just thought you girls might like these," Sirius's smirk increased as he held up the 5 timetables. He held them out of Ria's reach as she went to reach for them, brows knitting in annoyance as she realised it would never just be simple with Sirius Black. "They come at a price."

"Oh for goodness sake!"

"We're gonna be late, ya know."

"Seriously Black, what do you want?" Ria sighed, turning to fully face him, already feeling exhausted even if the day hadn't really begun yet.

"Well... a kiss should do it I think." There was a collection of moans, groans and even a retching noise from the group. Ria raised an eyebrow but otherwise didn't move. "Well, Lucas. What're you waiting for?"

"The punchline." Sophie snorted into her pumpkin juice and James and Remus both chuckled, feeling equally relieved. "It was a joke, right?"

"Actually, m'dear, I was-"

"Mr Black." Professor McGonagall said, walking up the space between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff table. "May I enquire as to why you are still holding those timetables, and have not yet handed them to the students they belong to?"

"Well Professor, I was just about to do that now, you see," Sirius said smoothly, although by McGonagall's pursed lips it was obvious she didn't believe a word of it.

"If you could do it without the kissing, I think everyone would appreciate it." Sirius handed out the timetable's without another word as McGonagall walked off to sort out another problem somewhere. Ria looked at her timetable and felt a warm feeling in her stomach that she would later convince herself was because of her breakfast, and not because her first lesson was with Remus.


	8. Attack Of The Shoes

**Hiya people! So sorry about the crapiness of the last chapter, I wrote it in kind of a rush because I felt so bad about not having uploaded in a while. Tbh I've had kind of a crappy week, I spent all week worrying about an interview only to get there and find out they weren't expecting me so I have to go back tomorrow for it. On the plus side I have that interview and another one on Wednesday so I'm hoping things are looking up for me. But enough about me, how have you guys been? Thanks to everyone who"s favourited or followed this story since the last chapter, I once again was an idiot and forgot to write you all down so I can't offer an individual thanks but thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you, it means the world to me! **

**To LadyCocoa: In the UK we have this chocolate philadelphia spread stuff which is pretty nice, that's close enough for me lol! Aww thank you for the thumbs up :)**

**To geekchic8428: Yep I finally got round to uploading, thanks! I hope you ready, I'm still really stuck! :)**

**To Zmaster: Wow thank you! :) **

**To The Mystics: Thank you, here's some more :)**

**And not that I'm trying to self publicise or anything but I have just uploaded the prologue of an Expendables story and I wanted to see what people thought of the idea before I decided to carry on with it or not. So if you guys like The Expendables then check it out, it's a Barney/OC story if you like those sorts of stories. Oh, and have you guys seen the line up for number 3? Wesley Snipes, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson and Antonio Banderas are all in it! Aah, I can't wait for next year! Anyhoo, enough of that, on with the chapter! While typing this up I realised that they're in fourth year whilst most of the stuff I had planned was for fifth year so there may be a few time jumps in the next couple of chapters - nothing too extreme or sudden but I really want to get into the real main story. Also, it seems that you guys don't really want a SiriusxRiaxRemus storyline and I can't figure out how to include it so that shan't be happening. Ooh, if you guys have a dream cast for the marauders then let me know! Mine is:  
- James = Aaron Taylor-Johnson  
- Sirius = Ben Barnes  
- Remus = Andrew Garfield  
- Peter = Jamie Bell**

* * *

**Chapter 8 - Attack Of The Shoes**

_Ria looked at her timetable and felt a warm feeling in her stomach that she would later convince herself was because of her breakfast, and not because her first lesson was with Remus. _

"Ready to go Ria?" Speaking of said boy... Remus stood up from his seat on the opposite side of the bench and smiled brightly at her. Ria nodded and grabbed her bag from under the bench before standing to follow him. Although Ancient Runes wasn't exactly the funnest of subjects, Ria had actually enjoyed it last year - mostly because she sat next to Remus - and was quite looking forward to this year too.

"I actually have no idea how you guys can stand that subject," Mary said as she bit into her toast. "Just looking at the textbook was enough to give me a headache."

"Need me to give you a head massage, McDonald?" Sirius asked, sending her a sly wink. He didn't have enough time to move before Mary threw her piece of toast at him, hitting him squarely in the forehead. Ria shook her head at her friends and followed Remus out of the hall and towards their first class. By nature they were both quiet people and so the walk was mostly in silence. Not an uncomfortable or awkward silence, but a pleasant one where you're just comfortable being with a person.

"So how was your holiday?" Remus asked as they waited for the staircase to stop moving.

"It was okay I guess," Ria replied. They were finally able to make their way up the stairs - although Remus did have to stop Ria from accidentally stepping on a trick step. "Thank you for that."

"Anytime. You didn't sound very...happy about your holidays. Everything okay?" Ria was touched by the concern in Remus's voice and smiled at him.

"Yeah everything's okay, the holiday was fine, just a little hectic. Cecilia and Katherine - my older sisters - have their NEWT's this year so they're stressed out to the max, Cee's head girl now so she's even more stressed about that. Not to mention that Kathy's been made Hufflepuff Quidditch captain so all holiday long all she talked about was Quidditch, but she couldn't talk to me about it because we're on rival teams so she had to talk to my brother Nathaniel who was back home visiting for a couple of weeks and that led to many, _many_ arguments about tactics and techniques and- oh Merlin I'm rambling aren't I?" Ria flushed bright red and she realised she'd been ranting and raving for at least the past five minutes.

Remus grinned at her, which turned into a chuckle as she blushed again after realising they'd made it to the classroom without her noticing. They didn't even need to confirm it with one another as they took the same seats they sat in last year - second row, closest to the window. They were the first ones there and had at least five minutes before Professor Babbling would arrive so they could at least finish their conversation. "Well enough about me, how was your holiday?"

"Pretty boring compared to yours," Remus joked, earning himself a slap on the arm from Ria. The pessimistic side of his brain told him she wouldn't be doing that if she knew what he really was, and it was only by sheer force of will that he managed to shut that side up. "But seriously it was great to have time off but after a couple weeks I just wanted to be back here."

"Yeah, Hogwarts has that effect on people," Ria admitted, knowing how much she missed the school when she was home. Remus nodded in agreement, only partly meaning the school. He knew his parents loved him dearly but his dad felt incredibly guilty about what happened to him and his mum was always worried about his future. He just needed to be back at a place where people either didn't know his secret or treated him no differently because of it. Ria noticed the dark look on his face but decided not to comment on it, not knowing whether it would help or just make him feel even worse about what ever was bothering him. Over the years Ria noticed that his scars were slightly more noticeable when he was sad or angry, yet when he was happy they almost disappeared entirely. Right now they were very noticeable so she quickly changed the subject. "So how did you find the holiday homework? I thought it was a little tough." Remus smiled at her gratefully, knowing that she had changed the subject for his benefit. Ria smiled back, making Remus forget just for a little while about the monster lurking inside of himself.

* * *

By the time Ria got back to the common room that evening she was more than thankful that lessons were over for the day. She'd been given homework from every subject, but she could afford to take that night off and just rest. However it definitely seemed like someone up high had it in for her that week. She had barely set foot in the common room before Luke pounced on her. "Quidditch meeting, down here in 10 minutes." He gave her a sharp nod before disappearing to find the other teammates. Ria waited till he was out of earshot before she groaned.

"Quidditch meeting?" Lily asked, patting her friends back in mock sympathy. Ria nodded and starting trudging up the stairs to the dormitory, desperately wanting to change out of her uniform before the meeting. When she got to their room, Ria threw her bag onto her bed and just grabbed the first pair of jeans and t-shirt she saw from her trunk. She rushed into the bathroom and emerged a couple of minutes later, now changed into pale blue jeans and a plain grey loose fitting t-shirt. She dumped her uniform onto the bed by her bag, deciding she'd sort it out after the meeting. She groaned for the second time that evening when she could only locate one shoe.

"What exactly are you doing?" Sophie asked, standing in the dormitory doorway with an amused expression on her face.

"I'm trying to find my shoe!" Ria called back, the top half of her body hidden under her bed as she tried looking for her shoe. "I've already looked in my trunk, in the bathroom, around the dormitory, what else do you expect me to do?"

"Use magic!" Four voices replied. Ria could feel the smirks even if she couldn't see them.

"This really isn't my day." Five minutes and a shoe attack later, Ria headed back down to the common room, rubbing her sore head where one of Ally's boots had hit her. The common room was relatively empty, people either still down at dinner or off at the library getting a head start on their homework. She saw James and Remus hanging around on the chairs by the fire so went to join them until the meeting began.

"...I'm just saying mate, she ain't exactly gonna run off and tell everyone is she?" James seemed to be trying to reassure Remus about something, and whilst Ria felt bad about eavesdropping (accidentally of course) she couldn't help but be a little intrigued. They hadn't noticed her yet so she stood off to the side and pretended to be looking around the common room for someone.

"I wouldn't blame her if she did! I'm a monster James, I don't even know why I thought telling her would be a good idea. She'd never even want to be friends any more if she knew, let alone anything else..." The tone of Remus's voice was enough to break Ria's heart and almost bring tears to her eyes. She wondered who Remus was talking about, and for a wild moment thought it might be her. Ever since Ancient Runes that morning, any time Ria saw Remus he always seemed to be arguing with himself about something. The fact that he called himself a monster puzzled Ria. How could sweet, shy, bookworm Remus Lupin think he was a monster?

Plastering a smile onto her face, Ria turned towards where the boys were and pretended to only just notice they were there. "Hey guys," she said loudly, giving them a little wave. Both boys smiled at her although Remus's didn't quite reach his eyes. Ria could've been imagining it based on what she'd overheard but she was positive Remus wouldn't quite meet her eyes, as though he was hiding something.

* * *

**Remus's POV**

All day long Remus had been tormented by his thoughts. Should he tell Ria his secret? How would he tell her? How would she react? Would she hate him for it? Remus couldn't stand the thought of her hating him for it. By that evening he was more than happy to get to the common room and relax in one of the big armchairs by the fire. He closed his eyes and just hoped the headache would go away soon. Luckily the common room was fairly empty, and therefore was quiet.

"Everything okay, Rem?" He hadn't notice James take a seat in the chair next to him. _You had your eyes closed, you idiot, of course you didn't see him. _

"Yeah, everything's great! Bit of a headache is all." Remus hoped James wouldn't notice that his smile was as fake as could be. Judging by the look on his face, he wasn't convinced at all by his friend. "Where's Sirius and Peter?"

"Sirius is with Blake getting the team together for a Quidditch meeting, and Peter has detention for not doing his Potions homework." There was a pause where Remus hoped James would talk about something else, and not dwell on the fact that Remus was so obviously lying to him. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Ria would it?" If Remus didn't look so troubled then James might have smirked at the way his eyes widened and his mouth opened and closed multiple times as he tried to deny James's accusation. "You can stop pretending to be a fish, I saw I wasn't the only one pissed at Sirius this morning." Remus groaned and put his head in his hands.

"Is it really that obvious?" James shrugged.

"Probably not to anyone else. But if I could figure out your 'furry little problem' by second year, then I could figure out that you have a crush on Ria. And I'm guessing you're emotional turmoil is something to do with both of those issues." Remus raised his eyebrow at James. His friend always seemed to surprise him.

"Where did you get so smart?" James grinned widely.

"Merlin knows! You think Evans likes smart guys? Maybe I should...oh I see what you're doing there," he pointed a finger accusingly at Remus. "Don't try and change the subject! You can talk to me, you know." Remus sighed, knowing there was almost no way he could get away without talking to James. So he sat there and told James all about his dilemma, and like a true friend, James listened to the rambling and ranting and didn't laugh at him at all.

"What do I do mate? You know Ria better than anyone." Remus looked so helpless and sad that James couldn't help but feel bad for him. He was an amazing and didn't deserve the burden of being a werewolf.

"I think you should tell her." Remus guessed James would say something like that, but he was still partly surprised. James and Ria would like brother and sister, and Remus knew he would do everything to protect her. Hell, yesterday on the train was enough to prove it! "I'm just saying mate, she ain't exactly gonna run off and tell everyone is she?" Remus knew Ria was incredibly trustworthy but that wasn't what was worrying him.

"I wouldn't blame her if she did! I'm a monster James, I don't even know why I thought telling her would be a good idea. She'd never even want to be friends any more if she knew, let alone anything else..." James knew from experience that trying to convince Remus he was a monster was next to impossible (he truly believed it) but it still didn't stop him from trying.

"Hey guys." Speak of the devil. Ria appeared behind them, apparently just coming down from the dormitory for the Quidditch meeting. Remus looked at her happy, smiling face but couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes. There was no way he could tell her and have her think he was a monster. He would have to distance himself from her. It would be hard and he didn't want to do it, but he'd rather have her alive and he be miserable than...no, he wouldn't even consider the other option. Remus Lupin was a monster and there was no way he'd let Ria know that.


	9. Girl Talk

**Hiya guys! So I got some good news this week but it also means some bad news for you. Basically I had both of those interviews last week and got offers from both of them! So I start my new job next week, and it means I'll be working Monday-Friday anywhere from 7:30 in the morning to 6 in the evening. So...updates are going to be really infrequent for a while. I still have a few days though where I will update as often as I can but after this week there may not be many updates for while. However because I will be working and earning money I will be saving up to buy myself my own laptop. If any of you want to recommend any to me then please do! I'm such an idiot when it comes to technology! :D**

**Thank you to all the new followers and favouriters out there, you guys are awesome! On that note, I was arguing with a friend because he said that only girls read fanfiction, so if there are any boys out there reading this please let me know so that I can prove him wrong!**

**To geekchic8428: He really is! It's that same old thing all over again, by trying to protect her he'll only end up hurting her more. Don't worry though, _someone_ will be calling him out on his idiocy - and it may not be who you think! Thank you, I hope this update is soon enough for you :)**

**To FreeSpiritSeeker: I know! Remus is one of my favourite characters and whenever I imagine him being young I just want to wrap him in cotton wool and cuddle him :( Thanks for reviewing :)**

**To The Mystics: Thank you, glad you liked it! I was aiming for cute :)**

**I know this chapter is really short but I wanted to leave it where I left it (you'll see why when you get there), and there's gonna be a lot going on in the next chapter so I think that justifies a short one now ^.^**

* * *

**Chapter 9 - Girl Talk**

As September slowly changed into October things around Hogwarts began falling into their usual routine. Sirius was in detention at least once a week for being caught after hours in broom cupboards with random girls. He didn't have to face detention alone though - James, Remus and Peter often joined him, having been caught pulling pranks on unsuspecting students (mostly Slytherins). Quidditch practice had started up again in the second week of term and the Gryffindor team could be found on the pitch every single Tuesday evening, sometimes practicing well into the night. The fourth years were being overloaded with homework from every teacher, and even students like Lily were struggling with the workload. It wasn't all bad though, in Ria's opinion. Autumn was her favourite time of year and she enjoyed everything that came along with it: Being able to feel all snuggly whilst wearing thick jumpers, drinking hot chocolate with whipped cream and little marshmallows in it, sitting around the fireplace with a good book or chatting with friends, Ria loved it all! This year, however, she found that she wasn't enjoying autumn as much as she normally would.

"Has Remus seemed a little...off lately?" She found herself asking her roommates one Friday evening near the end of October. Another joy of autumn was the girls 'sleepover' tradition. Whenever one of them felt a little bit down, or maybe when it was just a Friday or Saturday evening and they had nothing better to do, they would put all their pillows and quilts in the centre of the room. Then they would all bring sweets and chocolate to share around, stay up late talking and just generally have a good time.

"Not really, but I never really spoke to him before anyway so I wouldn't notice," Sophie replied, shoving an entire cauldron cake into her mouth.

"Maybe he's just worried about his mum," Mary suggested. "I think she's really ill again, that's why he keeps missing school." It was true, he went to visit her nearly every single month.

"Well, whatever it is, he's been acting different lately. Distant..." Ria told them, tearing open her bar of Honeydukes chocolate. If there was one thing she loved more than autumn then it was chocolate! "It's like I've done something wrong, only thing is I don't know what!"

"I'm sorry Ria," Ally said, patting her arm sympathetically. "I know you really liked him. But, hey! It's Hogsmeade tomorrow, maybe that'll take your mind off of him."

"Maybe. I hope so." This trip fell on Halloween and the boys accompanying Halloween party. James and Sirius had placed a sign in the common room the previous Monday, inviting everyone in fourth year or above to the 'spooktastic festivities', with only one condition - it was fancy dress. "And no dressing as muggles!" James had declared upon hearing the girls groans. "So, what are you all going as to the guys party?"

The next day found the girls trudging through the thick mud on the way to Hogsmeade village. It had rained heavily overnight and was still lightly raining as they walked. "Well this is fun," Sophie said sarcastically, attempting to avoid the larger puddles on the path. Mary followed her in trying to avoid the puddles, whilst Lily, Ally and Ria were having much more fun jumping in them. "You three really are children aren't you?" Needless to say she was ignored.

"Well Evans, funny seeing you here," a very familiar voice said.

"Yes, one would almost think that it was a school trip or something, Potter." Lily rolled her eyes as James continued his attempts to get her to go out with him. "Now, do you mind Potter? I was actually hoping to enjoy my day."

"Ouch, Evans," Sirius said, throwing his arms round James's shoulders. "That was a bit harsh wasn't it?" Ria noticed Remus and Peter also hanging around behind they other two boys, and as Remus looked at her, Ria made sure she was the first one to look away. She had decided the night before that if he no longer wanted to be her friend then she could easily reciprocate his hostile attitude.

"Not that this isn't fun, but we have to go costume shopping before the good ones go," Ria said, interrupting the little argument between Lily and James. As James and Sirius opened their mouths, Ria cut them off before they could say anything. "And no, no-one is dressing in anything slutty! And yes," she directed the next part at Lily, "we are still going to the prat's party. Come on." Ria practically dragged Lily away, although the red head didn't mind as it meant she got away from James.

"Wow, wonder what's got Lucas's knickers in a twist," Sirius contemplated, watching the girls head off down the road.

"Yeah, I wonder," James said, almost harshly. If Sirius and Peter hadn't still been watching the girls then they would have seen the look James sent towards Remus, and the look of regret and longing that passed over the young werewolf's face.

* * *

After a long day of shopping and far too much sweets, the girls headed back to the castle, each of them carrying multiple bags. "I think my arms are gonna fall off!" Ria complained, dropping her bags onto her bed and falling onto it after them. They still had a couple hours until they needed to head down to the Halloween feast, and so Mary, Ally and Sophie headed down to the library to finish some homework off before the party. Ria had finished her homework before the weekend began so decided to just relax in the dormitory and read for a bit.

"Erm... Ria?" She heard Lily say after a bit. "I need to talk to you about something." The red head had been uncharacteristically quiet all day, and had refused to meet Ria's gaze all day. Even now she was still looking down at her bed and playing with a loose thread in her blanket.

"Sure, what's up?" Ria patted her bed, indicating that Lily should come and sit down with her, which she did rather hesitantly.

"It's about Remus." Ria was quite surprised - the night before Lily had kept quiet during the Remus conversation. "Look - it's probably complete nonsense, I don't even think I really believe it-"

"Lily."

"It's all just one of Sev's theories and it's probably a load of rubbish but I thought it might help explain everything

"_Lily_."

"You know, about his behaviour lately and stuff. Oh I don't know - just ignore me, I-"

"Lily Evans, just bloody spit it out already!" Lily took a deep breath and finally looked up to meet Ria's eyes.

"Severus thinks Remus is a werewolf."


	10. Who Ate The Last Cauldron Cake, Part 1

**Sorry about the shortness of the last chapter, I just really wanted to leave it where I ended it, cliffhanger and all that! So there is a lot going on in this chapter, like I've done in previous chapters I'm gonna keep switching between Remus and Ria just to cover everything but it should be clear whose POV it is. I'm also splitting it into 2 chapters, Part 1 and part 2, because I feel like if it was an episode of a TV show then it would be a two-part episode! Also, I just wanted to say thank you to all you guys:**

**For following the story:**  
**Alinthrada GamerGirl, Born-in-Wonderland, DeathDaisy, EphemeralFlames, FreeSpiritSeeker, KT Lee, Lady Cocoa, LittleCatZ, Mad mind flip, NeonBunny, RedPlanetGalaxy, RosaliaThorn, SerahFalcon, Snowball A.K.A. WinterWolf, TheGirlWhoBelieved3, The Mystics, Theta-McBride, cupcakes-and-wisdom, dorie087, geekchic8428, hehadnochoice, hpfan2013, lildinosaurrawr, lucky15371, mUsIcLoVeRr3, moonblaze1509, .7 and wedontkilltheliving!**

**For favouriting the story:**  
**Alinthrada GamerGirl, EphemeralFlames, Jovie Black, KT Lee, Lady Cocoa, LapisLazuliRose, MexicanViper, RedPlanetGalaxy, Ryanarima, Snowball A.K.A. WinterWolf, TheGirlWhoBelieved3, The Mystics, Theta-McBride, amychristine21, cupcakes-and-wisdom, fantasyluver714, geekchic8428, hehadnochoice, hpfan2013, lildinosaurrawr, lucky15371 and .7!**

**To geekchic8428: I know! I thought it was about time to at least put the idea in Ria's mind that Remus was a werewolf, I didn't quite know when to introduce the idea but I thought I'd lay the foundations for the revelation now. Thanks for thinking it's a cool chapter! That's okay, as long as you read it that's all that matters to me :)**

**To Theta-McBride: Definitely not! I'd always imagined that Remus would want to at least tell one person himself, just because of how Lily, Severus and the Marauders all figured it out for themselves, he'd like to actually tell someone his secret rather than them figuring it out. Thank you so much! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 10 - Who Ate The Last Cauldron Cake? Part 1**

_"Severus thinks Remus is a werewolf."_

It seemed to take a while for Ria to actually comprehend what Lily had told her. Remus...a werewolf? It didn't make any sense! Remus was sweet and kind and quiet, and from what she'd heard of werewolves they were vicious and uncontrollable monsters. Although...that thought did bring up a memory from a few weeks back, one Ria would have forgotten about had it not been for the fact that she was sure that day had been when everything changed between her and Remus.

_"I'm a monster James!"_ That didn't necessarily mean werewolf though, it could mean, _had_ to mean something else. _"I don't even know why I thought telling her would be a good idea."_ He has a secret, plenty of people do! Doesn't mean anything... _"She'd never even want to be friends any more if she knew, let alone anything else..." _Okay, so it was a bad secret, big deal! She was sure it couldn't be that bad whatever it was, and besides, there was no way she could stop being friends with Remus! And as for the 'anything else' part...

It took another moment for her to realise Lily was still talking. "I'm not even sure I believe him! But you know Sev, it was just a crazy theory he had and he-"

"-And he what, starts accusing people of being werewolves?" Ria's voice came out much harsher than she meant it to but, in all honesty, she was past the point of caring. "Lily, Severus has had it out for all those guys since the first day of first year!"

"He may not have liked them but they weren't exactly nice to him either." Lily frowned at her friend. Ria had never been Severus's biggest fan but she always stood up for him when the boys got a bit out of hand.

"He doesn't even have any proof, he's just making it all up." Lily quickly looked down and Ria knew she wasn't going to like what Lily said next.

"Well, actually, he sort of does." Ria's stomach dropped and she could practically feel the colour draining from her face. "And I don't want to believe it, Ria, I really don't! But even I have to admit that some of it makes sense."

"Wh-what?"

"It was just some things Severus pointed out. Like all of Remus's scars. And how he's away every month...it all adds up." Ria let out a shaky sigh of relief.

"Oh you really had me going there Lily," she said, whilst Lily looked at her in complete confusion. "I thought said Severus had proof, but all he has is idle speculation." Ria stood up from her bed and went to her trunk to get some things out for her costume. There was a long pause and she hoped Lily would just drop the whole subject. Ria didn't want to believe it, couldn't believe it, but if Lily didn't stop going on about it then the little worm of doubt in her mind might start growing. She was facing away from Lily so the red head was unable to see her expression as she carried on explaining.

"Ria I'm sorry, but it does make sense. He goes away once a month, every month - and yes, it is every month," she added when Ria opened her mouth to argue otherwise. "And I've kept note of it ever since Sev said about it and it's always on the full moon. Now, it may just be a coincidence but-"

"Yes, it's a coincidence Lily! That's all it is - speculation and coincidences!" Ria wheeled round to face her friend so quickly that it made Lily jump in surprise. "Now for Merlin's sake stop talking about it!" With that she threw the items she'd gotten out of her trunk onto the ground and marched towards the door. "I'm going for a walk._ Alone_." Slamming the door closed so hard that it actually rattled in its hinges, she stomped down the stairs into the common room, ignoring everyone as she walked out of the portrait hole.

* * *

The Marauders were busy decorating the common room when Ria suddenly stormed through. James and Sirius had decided to host a Halloween party in the Gryffindor common room, which only amounted to a lot of work for them all. Remus did have to admit that once all the decorations were up then it would look pretty good - it was just putting them up that was the problem. They had hand carved pumpkins that floated above everyones heads and would occasionally scream or say something like "Happy Halloween!", skeletons that they charmed to walk around with trays of food and who could hold basic conversations with people, and all the paintings were now scarier versions of themselves. They had charmed the candles and fireplace to burn red flames instead of the usual gold, and there were real cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and chandeliers, courtesy of Hagrid.

"Well chaps," James said, throwing his arms around Remus and Sirius's shoulders. "I say we should be proud of our work! D'you think Evans will-OUGH, Sirius!" James removed his arms and began rubbing the back of his head.

"Mate, no talking about Evans, okay? No need to forget about her, move on to someone else!" Sirius cried, throwing his arms in the air in frustration. James was his best mate, and he actually got on well with Lily, but he still thought James would never ever get her to go out with him and needed to move on. That's when he spotted Ria coming down the stairs from the girls dormitory. "Here's Ria, she'll back me up - Oi, Lucas!" Instead of stopping like he thought she would, Ria marched right past them without even glancing at them and ducked out of the portrait hole.

"She seemed upset about something," Peter squeaked, still pulling cobwebs out of his hair. Even though Remus had no idea why she was upset, he felt exceptionally guilty. James had been dropping hints all day that Ria hadn't been her usual happy self since he stopped speaking to her, and that maybe he should just get over himself, grow a pair and apologise. Remus looked over at the boy in question to find him smirking slightly. James caught Remus's eye and nodded his head in the direction of the portrait hole, knowing there was no way Remus wasn't going to go after her.

"Be back in a minute," Remus said before jogging out of the common room and into the corridor.

* * *

"Ria! Ria, wait up!" Ria could hear Remus calling her, but at that moment she didn't want to speak to anyone - especially him. Not because of what Lily said but because he's been ignoring her for the last month and she didn't even know why. "Ria, will you please just slow down and talk to me for a minute!"

"Why, so you can just act like a prat again?!" The words left her mouth before she could stop them, and she kept walking, hoping he would just go back to the common room and leave her alone. Luck wasn't on her side that night because she felt Remus grab her arm, and she finally had to stop walking and face him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He looked so sincere and caring that for a moment Ria completely forgot that she was mad at him. And then she remembered.

"Like you even care," she replied, adding a humourless laugh. 'You haven't spoken a single word to me in the last month, and now I'm supposed to believe that you actually care? What the hell Remus!"

"Look I'm sorry I haven't spoken to you, and that I've been acting different, but it's for the best!"

"How on earth is it for the best?! You were my friend Remus...at least I thought you were," Ria said sadly. Remus's grip on her arm loosened and she pulled her arm away, stepping back as she did so. "If you didn't want to be friends then you could've at least done the decent thing and said so."

"It's for the best, Ria," Remus sighed. "I just hope that one day I can at least tell you why." Ria shook her head and shrugged.

"You know what, Remus? Just do whatever you like. I'm done." With that she turned and carried on walking down the corridor and away from Remus.

Remus felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He'd thought it was for the best, he thought he'd be saving her from getting hurt but all he'd done was hurt the both of them. Without thinking Remus turned and slammed his fist straight into the wall. He hissed as his hand throbbed in pain and his knuckles bled, but he didn't really care. He slammed his other fist into the wall, then the other, over and over again.

"Mr Lupin!" Remus cursed but stopped his punching to see Professor McGonagall striding towards him. His jaw clenched and he actually considered just ignoring her. She stopped and studied his face, before holding out her hand. "Show me." Feeling more than a little confused and irritated, Remus showed her his hands. "Come with me." _Could this night really be any worse?_

* * *

_Could this night really be any worse? _Ria asked herself, as she walked through the castle on her own. She passed the Great Hall and sighed as she saw all the decorations for the Halloween Feast that evening. She knew she'd have to go back to the common room at some point but she really didn't feel like going to the party. All she wanted to do was curl up in bed with a book and just forget the whole damn day. She wasn't even looking where she was going and accidentally knocked into someone. "Sorry," she said automatically, not even looking up.

"That's okay- hey, are you alright, Ria? You look kind of upset." Ria looked up into the smiling face of Ben Davies, a Ravenclaw boy from her year. The Gryffindors had Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology with the Ravenclaws, and sometimes Ria had been partnered with Ben.

"Oh yeah I'm fine! Just a little argument with Lily," Ria said, forcing herself to smile brightly and shrug.

"Well if you're sure you're okay. Wouldn't want to make you even more upset when we crush you in the game next week," Ben said with a smirk. Ben was the seeker of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, and would always banter with Ria, James and Sirius when Ravenclaw played Gryffindor.

"I think you mean when _we_ beat _you. _As I recall it Gryffindor won the cup last year, what makes you think we won't do it again this year?"

"Because I'm on the team, so obviously Ravenclaw are gonna win!" Ria laughed and Ben's smirk grew.

"Cocky much?"

"Very." Ria chuckled, feeling much better than she had earlier. "Hey, do you think you could help me with that Care of Magical Creatures essay we have to do? I have no idea what to do!"

"A Ravenclaw asking for help with an essay? Is the world falling apart?" Ria replied, acting shocked. Ben rolled his eyes but laughed with her. "Sure I'll help you. Meet in the library tomorrow after lunch?"

"Great, thanks Ria," Ben said. His friends started calling for him and he waved his hand to try and shut them up, and Ria blushed slightly as one of them wolf whistled at the two of them. Ben turned back to Ria looking incredibly embarrassed. "Sorry about them. Anyway, I will see you tomorrow. Have a great night." With a wink, Ben turned to follow his friends, and Ria suddenly remembered what was happening that night.

"Actually Ben, do you have any plans tonight?"


End file.
